The Opium Wars of conflicts are motivated by commercial reasons which opposed the Qing Dynasty China (trying to ban the opium trade on its territory) to several Western countries (trying to continue it) in the nineteenth century. The
first Opium War was fought from 1839 to 1842 and China opposed the United Kingdom;
Second Opium War was fought from 1856 to 1860 and this time saw the intervention of France, U.S. and Russia alongside the United Kingdom. This war may be regarded as an extension of the first, hence, the name that was assigned.
Victor Hugo, like Stephane Guillon today désaprouve the attitude of English and French leaders - not vindictive when it comes to stuff their coffers at the expense of a people - through its beautiful prose:
TO CAPTAIN BUTLER
Hauteville House, November 25, 1861
You ask me, sir, on the China expedition. You find this expedition honorable and beautiful, and you're good enough to attach some value to my feeling, you think
China's expedition, made under the flags of Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon, is a glory to be shared between France and England, and want to know how much approval I think I can give this victory to the English and French.
Since you want to know my opinion is this:
There was, in a corner of the world, a wonder of the world, this wonder called the Summer Palace. Art has two principles, the Idea, which produces European art, and the Chimera, which produces oriental art. The Summer Palace was chimerical art what the Parthenon is to ideal art. Anything that can bring forth the imagination of a people almost extra-human was there. It was not, like the Parthenon, a rare and unique work, it was a sort of huge model of the chimera, if the chimera may be a model. Imagine some inexpressible construction, something like a lunar building, and you'll Palace Summer. Build a dream with marble, jade, bronze, porcelain, frame it with cedar wood, cover it with precious stones, drape it with silk, make it here a sanctuary, there a harem, the citadel, turn ahead of the gods, monsters put it, varnish it, enamel it, gild it, paint it, built by architects who are poets of the thousand and one dreams of the thousand and one nights, add gardens , basins, gushing water and foam, swans, ibis, peacocks, suppose in a word a sort of dazzling cavern of human fantasy with the face of the temple and palace, that was this monument. It took to create it, the long work of two generations. This building, which was the enormity of a city, was built by the centuries, for whom? For the people. Because that time belongs to the man. Artists, poets, philosophers, knew the Summer Palace; Voltaire talks. People spoke of the Parthenon in Greece, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Notre-Dame in Paris, the Summer Palace in the East. If you do not see it they imagined. It was a kind of scary unknown masterpiece glimpsed in the distance not only know what twilight like a silhouette of the civilization of Asia on the horizon of civilization in Europe.
This wonder is gone.
One day, two robbers entered the Summer Palace. One plundered, the other burned. Victory may be a thief, it seems. The devastation of the Summer Palace was accomplished by half between the two winners. Mixed up in all that the name of Elgin, which inevitably calls to mind the Parthenon. What was done to the Parthenon, was done at the Summer Palace, more thoroughly and better in order to leave nothing. All the treasures of our cathedrals together could not equal this wonderful and beautiful museum of the East. There was is not only masterpieces of art, there was a pile of silverware. Grand feat good bargain. One of two winners he filled his pockets, whereupon the other has filled its coffers and they returned to Europe, arm in arm, laughing. Such is the story of two bandits.
We Europeans are the civilized and we Chinese are barbarians. That is what civilization has done to barbarism.
Before history, one of two bandits called France, the other called England. But I protest and I thank you for giving me the opportunity: the crimes of those who lead are not the fault of those who are led That governments are sometimes bandits, and the people forever.
The French Empire has pocketed half of the win, and it was today, with a kind of naive owner, beautiful knick-knacks of the Summer Palace? I hope one day will come when France delivered and cleansed, will return this booty to despoiled China.
Meanwhile, there is a theft and two thieves, I see it.
That, sir, how much trust I give to the China expedition. Victor Hugo
trivial Note: It
is interesting that at a time when information, media, had a much lesser place in society, the horrors of our leaders still reached the ears of some, but now in this period of "information highway", to quote ME Nabe, where we are, every international conflict the interests of different governments involved are either blocked or confined to silence ...
first Opium War was fought from 1839 to 1842 and China opposed the United Kingdom;
Second Opium War was fought from 1856 to 1860 and this time saw the intervention of France, U.S. and Russia alongside the United Kingdom. This war may be regarded as an extension of the first, hence, the name that was assigned.
Victor Hugo, like Stephane Guillon today désaprouve the attitude of English and French leaders - not vindictive when it comes to stuff their coffers at the expense of a people - through its beautiful prose:
TO CAPTAIN BUTLER
Hauteville House, November 25, 1861
You ask me, sir, on the China expedition. You find this expedition honorable and beautiful, and you're good enough to attach some value to my feeling, you think
China's expedition, made under the flags of Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon, is a glory to be shared between France and England, and want to know how much approval I think I can give this victory to the English and French.
Since you want to know my opinion is this:
There was, in a corner of the world, a wonder of the world, this wonder called the Summer Palace. Art has two principles, the Idea, which produces European art, and the Chimera, which produces oriental art. The Summer Palace was chimerical art what the Parthenon is to ideal art. Anything that can bring forth the imagination of a people almost extra-human was there. It was not, like the Parthenon, a rare and unique work, it was a sort of huge model of the chimera, if the chimera may be a model. Imagine some inexpressible construction, something like a lunar building, and you'll Palace Summer. Build a dream with marble, jade, bronze, porcelain, frame it with cedar wood, cover it with precious stones, drape it with silk, make it here a sanctuary, there a harem, the citadel, turn ahead of the gods, monsters put it, varnish it, enamel it, gild it, paint it, built by architects who are poets of the thousand and one dreams of the thousand and one nights, add gardens , basins, gushing water and foam, swans, ibis, peacocks, suppose in a word a sort of dazzling cavern of human fantasy with the face of the temple and palace, that was this monument. It took to create it, the long work of two generations. This building, which was the enormity of a city, was built by the centuries, for whom? For the people. Because that time belongs to the man. Artists, poets, philosophers, knew the Summer Palace; Voltaire talks. People spoke of the Parthenon in Greece, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Notre-Dame in Paris, the Summer Palace in the East. If you do not see it they imagined. It was a kind of scary unknown masterpiece glimpsed in the distance not only know what twilight like a silhouette of the civilization of Asia on the horizon of civilization in Europe.
This wonder is gone.
One day, two robbers entered the Summer Palace. One plundered, the other burned. Victory may be a thief, it seems. The devastation of the Summer Palace was accomplished by half between the two winners. Mixed up in all that the name of Elgin, which inevitably calls to mind the Parthenon. What was done to the Parthenon, was done at the Summer Palace, more thoroughly and better in order to leave nothing. All the treasures of our cathedrals together could not equal this wonderful and beautiful museum of the East. There was is not only masterpieces of art, there was a pile of silverware. Grand feat good bargain. One of two winners he filled his pockets, whereupon the other has filled its coffers and they returned to Europe, arm in arm, laughing. Such is the story of two bandits.
We Europeans are the civilized and we Chinese are barbarians. That is what civilization has done to barbarism.
Before history, one of two bandits called France, the other called England. But I protest and I thank you for giving me the opportunity: the crimes of those who lead are not the fault of those who are led That governments are sometimes bandits, and the people forever.
The French Empire has pocketed half of the win, and it was today, with a kind of naive owner, beautiful knick-knacks of the Summer Palace? I hope one day will come when France delivered and cleansed, will return this booty to despoiled China.
Meanwhile, there is a theft and two thieves, I see it.
That, sir, how much trust I give to the China expedition. Victor Hugo
trivial Note: It
is interesting that at a time when information, media, had a much lesser place in society, the horrors of our leaders still reached the ears of some, but now in this period of "information highway", to quote ME Nabe, where we are, every international conflict the interests of different governments involved are either blocked or confined to silence ...
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